Nonlinear waves and instabilities leading to secondary reconnection in reconnection outflows

Lapenta, Giovanni; Pucci, Francesco; Olshevsky, Vyacheslav; Servidio, Sergio; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Newman, David L.; Goldman, Martin V.

doi:10.1017/S002237781800003X

Title: Nonlinear waves and instabilities leading to secondary reconnection in reconnection outflows

Journal Article · 31 January 2018 · Journal of Plasma Physics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S002237781800003X · OSTI ID:1479471

Lapenta, Giovanni ^[1]; Pucci, Francesco ^[2]; Olshevsky, Vyacheslav ^[2]; Servidio, Sergio ^[3]; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca ^[4]; Newman, David L. ^[5]; Goldman, Martin V. ^[5]

KU Leuven (Belgium). Dept. of Mathematics; Space Science Inst., Boulder, CO (United States)
KU Leuven (Belgium). Dept. of Mathematics
Univ. of Calabria, Rende (Italy). Dept. of Physics
Nanotec-CNR, Rende (Italy)
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

Reconnection outflows have been under intense recent scrutiny, fromin situobservations and from simulations. These regions are host to a variety of instabilities and intense energy exchanges, often even superior to the main reconnection site. We report here a number of results drawn from an investigation of simulations. First, the outflows are observed to become unstable to drift instabilities. Second, these instabilities lead to the formation of secondary reconnection sites. Third, the secondary processes are responsible for large energy exchanges and particle energization. Finally, the particle distribution function are modified to become non-Maxwellian and include multiple interpenetrating populations.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1479471

Journal Information:: Journal of Plasma Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Plasma Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 84; ISSN 0022-3778

Publisher:: Cambridge University PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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